Newbold remained a ?no-go? area this morning as a 200 metre exclusion zone set up by police and fire crews was expected to remain in force for the rest of the day.

Some evacuated families fled in their pyjamas to spend the night with friends and relatives. They were hoping to be able to go home later today as work by emergency services to cool down the gas cylinders continued.

An investigation into the cause of the fire - and whether it could have been started by arsonists - was under way.

The fire broke out in a car parked at the Barley Mow pub, before spreading to a nearby skip and an industrial van, heating the oxyacetylene gas cylinders to dangerously high temperatures.

Firefighter Kevin Brindley, of Nuneaton fire station, said it was impossible to be sure how close the van came to exploding.

He said: ?Because we cannot get close to the van we don?t know how hot it got, but it was a good job we arrived when we did.

?This was potentially an extremely dangerous situation - when these cylinders are heated up they are time-bombs waiting to go off.?

Main Street resident Brian Waterman said he was awoken at about 2am by police hammering on the door.

He and his wife were evacuated to his daughter?s house in Hillmorton.

He said: ?We were frightened we would be blown up - my wife went out of the house in just her nightie.

?Not everyone left - my neighbour said Hitler couldn?t get him out so this wasn?t going to either.

Mr Waterman said the area was plagued by fires. ?There have been a lot recently - this is the fourth we have had in just over a week.?

Another Main Street resident, who did not wish to be named, said: ?This is the fifth time I have woken up to see a fire out of my window.?

Warwickshire fire spokesman Brian George said the cause was still under investigation. He said fire crews would remain throughout the day.